Aviation Accident Summary Archive

Linjeflyg Flight 618, operated by Skyline, crashed into a parking lot in the Kalvesta neighborhood of Stockholm during the final leg of a multi-stop domestic service to Bromma Airport. The accident was caused by atmospheric icing on the horizontal stabilizer, which led to a loss of pitch control when the flaps were extended for landing. All 22 people on board, including Swedish table tennis star Hans Alser, were killed. The investigation revealed that the aircraft's anti-icing system was ineffective because the number two and three engines had been operated at low power for a prolonged period, preventing the system from reaching the temperatures required to shed ice.

Weather

Aeroflot Flight 3843 crashed during its final approach to Almaty after a persistent fire in the left engine destroyed the aircraft's control systems. The fire burned for approximately 10 to 15 minutes, intensifying as the aircraft slowed for landing due to reduced airflow. This led to a loss of control and a stall just three kilometers from the runway. All 90 passengers and crew were killed.

In-flight Fire

A Japan Air Lines cargo flight carrying 56 head of cattle stalled and crashed shortly after takeoff from Anchorage International Airport, killing all five people on board. The investigation revealed that the captain was severely intoxicated, with a blood alcohol level nearly three times the legal limit for driving in Alaska. The aircraft's performance was further degraded by airframe icing, which the crew failed to address despite warnings from ground mechanics. The NTSB determined that the captain's impaired control inputs and the failure of the other crew members to intervene were primary factors in the accident.

Pilot Error

A disgruntled former pilot, Colin Richard Forman, deliberately crashed a stolen Beechcraft Baron into the Connair administrative building at Alice Springs Airport in a suicide attack. The perpetrator had been dismissed from Connair seven weeks into his employment after a prior conviction for forgery was discovered. Driven by a desire for retribution against the airline and its management, Forman flew from Wyndham to Alice Springs and struck the building during the morning. The impact killed Forman and three people in the building instantly, including the airline founder's son, Roger Connellan. A fifth victim, a secretary, died from her injuries five days later. Four other employees were injured in the attack.

Security / Sabotage

EgyptAir Flight 864 crashed into a weaving mill in an industrial area of Bangkok during a night approach to Don Mueang International Airport. The aircraft exploded on impact, killing all 52 occupants and 19 people on the ground. The investigation determined that the flight crew failed to monitor their altitude and continued their descent below the minimum safe altitude while attempting an ADF approach in conditions of low visibility.

Pilot Error

Aeroflot Flight 36 crashed during a night approach to Kyiv-Zhuliany Airport in heavy fog and icing conditions. The crew continued the descent below weather minimums despite not having the runway in sight and receiving no guidance from air traffic control, who were overwhelmed by radio congestion and failed to monitor deteriorating visibility. The aircraft struck a concrete fence and a railroad embankment, resulting in a post-crash fire that killed 48 of the 55 people on board.

Human Factors (Operational)

Aeroflot Flight 2415 crashed shortly after takeoff from Moscow when the crew suffered spatial disorientation following the failure of the aircraft's artificial horizons. In conditions of darkness and low visibility, the pilots inadvertently entered a steep right bank while attempting to follow departure headings. The aircraft entered a high-speed dive and impacted a forest near the village of Klushino, killing all 73 people on board.

Sensor / Instrument Failure

Indian Airlines Flight 171 crashed during an emergency landing attempt at Bombay Airport after suffering an uncontained engine failure and an intense in-flight fire. A fatigue crack in the No. 2 engine's 10th stage compressor disk caused the unit to disintegrate, severing fuel lines and igniting a fire. The crew failed to isolate the fuel supply to the damaged engine, allowing the fire to intensify and eventually consume the aircraft's hydraulic fluid. The loss of hydraulic pressure led to a total loss of pitch control, causing the aircraft to plummet into the ground just short of the runway.

Mechanical Failure

Cubana Flight 455 was destroyed by two terrorist bombs shortly after departing Barbados. The explosions, orchestrated by anti-Castro exiles, caused an uncontrollable fire and hydraulic failure. Despite the crew's attempts to return to the airport, the aircraft became uncontrollable and crashed into the Caribbean Sea, killing all 73 people on board, including the entire Cuban national fencing team.

Security / Sabotage

Turkish Airlines Flight 452 crashed into a hillside near Isparta after the flight crew mistook the lights of a highway and the city of Isparta for the runway and city lights of Antalya. Despite being 100 kilometers north of their destination and receiving warnings from the Antalya controller that the aircraft was not yet visible on radar or by sight, the First Officer continued a visual descent in the dark. The Boeing 727 struck Karatepe Hill, killing everyone on board in what remains the deadliest aviation accident in Turkish history.

Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT)

A mid-air collision occurred over Zagreb when a British Airways Trident and an Inex-Adria DC-9 collided at 33,000 feet due to air traffic control errors. The disaster was primarily attributed to the failure of the Zagreb Area Control Centre to maintain proper separation, exacerbated by a controller's use of Serbo-Croatian instead of English, which prevented the British crew from understanding the proximity of the other aircraft.

Human Factors (Operational) · Multi-aircraft

Two Aeroflot aircraft, an Antonov An-24RV (Flight 7957) and a Yakovlev Yak-40 (Flight S-31), collided head-on at 5,700 meters over the Black Sea near Anapa. The collision was caused by an air traffic controller who failed to maintain proper separation, allowing both aircraft to operate at the same altitude on intersecting paths. All 70 people across both aircraft were killed, including 52 on the An-24 and 18 on the Yak-40.

Human Factors (Operational) · Multi-aircraft

ČSA Flight 001 crashed into the Zlaté piesky lake during an unstabilized approach to Bratislava-Ivanka Airport. After an excessively fast and steep descent, the crew improperly used thrust reversal in flight, leading to the failure of engine number 3. During the subsequent emergency, the crew mistakenly feathered the propeller of the functioning number 4 engine. While attempting a go-around on only two engines, the crew tried to restart the number 4 engine at a critically low altitude and speed, causing the aircraft to bank sharply and plunge into the lake.

Pilot Error

A GAF Nomad N.22B carrying the Chief Minister of Sabah and several cabinet members stalled and crashed into shallow water during its final approach to Kota Kinabalu. The investigation, which remained classified for 47 years, determined that the aircraft was improperly loaded with a center of gravity well beyond the rear limit. This loading, combined with pilot fatigue and potential unauthorized operation by a trainee passenger, led to a loss of control when the flaps were extended for landing.

Pilot Error

Air Manila Flight 702 crashed shortly after takeoff from Naval Air Station Agana when the number 3 engine failed and the crew improperly managed the climb. Despite the engine failure occurring before the aircraft reached rotation speed, the captain elected to continue the takeoff. During the initial climb, the crew prematurely retracted the flaps and landing gear at a low altitude, causing the aircraft to lose climb capability and stall into rising terrain. The aircraft struck a car on a nearby highway, killing the driver, before exploding in a vacant lot.

Pilot Error

Aeroflot Flight 418, a brand new Tupolev Tu-154A, crashed into the side of Mount San Carlos on Bioko Island while en route to Malabo. All 46 people on board were killed. The investigation was unable to definitively determine the cause of the accident, though a failure of the aircraft's radar system was suspected to have contributed to the crew's loss of situational awareness.

Unknown

Aeroflot Flight 1802 crashed near Chernihiv after an unexplained rudder hardover caused the aircraft to enter an unrecoverable tailspin. While climbing toward its assigned cruise altitude, the rudder suddenly deflected 25 degrees to the right at 5,700 meters. Despite the crew's immediate attempts to counter the roll with ailerons, the aircraft pitched up sharply, reached critical angles of attack, and fell into a spin. All 52 people on board were killed when the aircraft impacted the ground at a high rate of descent.

Mechanical Failure

American Airlines Flight 625, originating in Rhode Island with a stop at New York JFK, overran the runway at Harry S. Truman Airport after a long touchdown and a late, aborted attempt at a go-around. The aircraft struck a localizer antenna and an embankment before coming to rest against a Shell gas station. The accident was primarily attributed to the captain's decision to attempt a go-around with insufficient runway remaining, following a landing that occurred approximately 2,300 to 2,800 feet down the 4,650-foot runway.

Pilot Error

Alaska Airlines Flight 60, originating in Anchorage, overran the departure end of the runway at Ketchikan International Airport after the captain attempted a go-around following an excessively long and fast touchdown. The aircraft had abandoned a precision ILS approach in favor of a visual approach despite low visibility, fog, and light snow. After touching down approximately 1,500 feet beyond the threshold and finding braking action poor, the captain initiated a go-around. However, the thrust reversers failed to fully disengage due to high airloads, preventing the engines from producing takeoff thrust. The aircraft overran the runway, struck an antenna array, and came to rest in a ravine where it was destroyed by fire.

Pilot Error

Aeroflot Flight 3739 crashed seconds after takeoff from Irkutsk Airport due to an uncorrected right bank caused by asymmetric refueling and pilot error. The aircraft was carrying 114 souls, consisting of 104 passengers (including five unmanifested individuals) and 10 crew members. During the takeoff roll, the aircraft began banking to the right because the right fuel tanks contained approximately 1,300 to 1,500 kilograms more fuel than the left. Although the crew briefly leveled the wings, the aircraft banked again upon liftoff, reached a 70 degree angle, and crashed 180 meters past the runway end, striking a parked Chosonminhang Tupolev Tu-154.

Pilot Error

A Mercer Airlines Douglas DC-6 (YC-112A) crashed on a golf course near Van Nuys, California, following a catastrophic failure of the No. 3 engine and subsequent failure of the No. 2 engine. During the takeoff roll at Hollywood-Burbank Airport, a propeller blade on the No. 3 engine failed due to fatigue, causing the entire engine to separate from the wing. Despite the damage, the aircraft became airborne. The departing blade and engine debris damaged the No. 2 engine and severed critical hydraulic and pneumatic lines. The crew attempted an emergency landing at Burbank and touched down, but lacking brakes and reverse thrust, they were unable to stop. The Captain elected to perform an emergency go-around to avoid overrunning the runway into a residential area. During the attempt to reach Van Nuys, the aircraft lost altitude and crashed short of the runway on the Woodley Municipal Golf Course.

Human Factors (Maintenance)

On January 15, 1976, a Douglas DC-4 operated by Taxi Aereo el Venado crashed into a mountain peak in the Eastern Cordillera while performing a domestic charter flight. The aircraft had departed Bogota for La Macarena with 13 people on board. Shortly after takeoff, the pilot reported his departure and intended to check in at the next reporting point, El Boqueron, but no further communications were received. The wreckage was discovered three hours later near Chipaque at an elevation of 3,540 meters (11,610 feet). The investigation determined the aircraft flew into a mountain peak that was obscured by clouds, resulting in the deaths of all 10 passengers and 3 crew members.

Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT)

Aeroflot Flight 2003 crashed shortly after takeoff from Vnukovo International Airport when both primary artificial horizons failed while the aircraft was climbing through clouds. Deprived of visual references and reliable instrumentation, the crew suffered spatial disorientation, leading to a steep left bank and a high-speed dive. The aircraft struck a residential house in the village of Sanino, killing all 61 people on board and one person on the ground.

Sensor / Instrument Failure

Middle East Airlines Flight 438 was destroyed by an improvised explosive device while cruising at 37,100 feet over the Saudi Arabian desert. The aircraft, a Boeing 720, was en route from Beirut to Muscat with a scheduled stopover in Dubai (or Abu Dhabi). The explosion occurred in the forward cargo hold, causing the aircraft to break up in mid-air and killing all 81 people on board. Investigations suggested the bomb was intended to detonate after the aircraft landed in Oman, but a last-minute aircraft swap and subsequent boarding delays caused the device to trigger while the flight was still in transit.

Security / Sabotage